3 Virginia Democrats Vie to Challenge Rep. Cantor

At least three Democrats have announced plans to challenge House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s bid for election to a seventh term this fall, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

But the three — real estate broker David Hunsicker, attorney and college professor Jim Phillips, and attorney E. Wayne Powell — will have to face off against each other first in Virginia’s June 12 primary before one emerges to take on the GOP’s second-highest-ranking member of the House in the November general election.

There is a chance other Democrats could decide to challenge Cantor, too, the Times-Dispatch reported Monday. The June 12 primary could be pushed back to August because of delays in approving the state’s redrawn congressional district maps, the newspaper reported. That would draw out the Democratic primary fight, leaving less time to focus on a single campaign against Cantor.

The possibility of a delayed Virginia primary date, however, hasn’t kept other congressional hopefuls from mounting campaigns, including two Republicans who would like the opportunity to face off against Democratic Rep. Bobby Scott, who is seeking an 11th term.

Republicans Dean Longo, a consultant, and Chuck Smith, an attorney who challenged Scott in 2010, plan to run against Scott, the Times-Dispatch reported.